Visa quota

The number of residence visas a company may sponsor, determined by the floor area it leases rather than by its headcount plans or revenue. A flexi-desk typically supports one to six depending on the zone; offices are calculated per square metre, commonly around nine square metres per visa.

Where it comes up

Quota is the number of residence visas your company may sponsor, and it is decided by the floor area you lease rather than by your headcount plans, your revenue or your intentions.

What it costs

No direct cost, but increasing it means a licence amendment, a new tenancy and an immigration file adjustment — which is why it is far cheaper to size correctly at the start.

Who it applies to

Every company sponsoring staff. A flexi-desk typically supports one to six depending on the zone; offices are calculated per square metre, commonly around nine square metres per visa.

How it actually goes

1. Take the premisesQuota follows leased area almost everywhere. A flexi-desk supports a small number; an office is assessed per square metre.
2. Apply for the allocationTo the free zone authority, or to MOHRE and immigration for mainland companies.
3. Match it to the activitySome activities carry their own quota rules regardless of area — labour-heavy industrial and hospitality licences among them.
4. Increase it deliberatelyLease more space, or apply for an exception with a headcount justification. Both take time you should not spend after making an offer to a candidate.

Quota is the constraint founders forget when choosing the cheapest package. A licence that allows two visas is a licence that cannot hire a fourth person without a property decision first.

In short

• Follows leased area, not ambition
• The most common costly mistake in package selection
• Increasing it means a licence amendment and a new tenancy

Where this leads

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